The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has begun the construction of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park at Odukpani, Cross River State, with the goal of creating a regional low-cost manufacturing hub that would produce equipment components and spare parts that would be utilized in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, Oriental News reports.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony at the weekend the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote credited his predecessors for initiating the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGAPS), adding that it “fits nicely into our 10-year strategy roadmap aimed at raising in-country value retention in the oil and gas industry from the current levels to 70 percent.”
He asserted that about 2000 jobs would be created when the park begins full operation while the citizens of the host community and environs will benefit from on-the-job training opportunities. Wabote also explained that NOGAPS sites are planned to be sited close to existing power plants while provisions are also made to generate captive power in a bid to address the electricity challenge that face most Nigerian manufacturers and businesses.